Album Review: Leif Vollebekk – Twin Solitude

Leif Vollebekk, with his soothing and elegant vocals, has released his new album Twin Solitude – an album that feels so real and so calming. Leif himself had awful writer’s block after 2013, and has just come back with this album that shows him on a different level to previous music.

Vancouver Time is the opening track and is so simple with its production, alongside the vocals and strong songwriting. The only issue is that the rhythm never changes, leading to this feeling very melancholic and not really showing his strengths through his music. All Night Sedans follows on too quickly, and both songs almost blur into each other. The steady instrumental is so similar to Vancouver Time that it leads to disappointment.

Elegy however, is a song so powerful and overwhelming that it shows Leif in his best light. The piano is soothing, and works well with Leif’s husky vocals. The lyrics are brilliant and tell the story that so many know: ‘crazy dreams, still crazy about you / won’t you let me in one more time, babe I want to feel it too / well nothing is a lie, babe if you know it ain’t true’. Again, the tempo never changes in this song, but it works for this one. This track is the standout on the album, with Leif stating that the song actually came to him when he was riding his bike through Montreal and he thought he’d heard the song growing up; a moment of genius came to him and reflects into this very real song.

All songs feel very haunting, yet soothing and has a dark feeling to all things folk. The ambience of Road To Venus makes this song feel forlorn, however echoes against the lyrics with the theme and shows that Leif knows how to create music that combines in this edgy and creative way.

Overall this album does sound almost too samey with its approach. The songs could be on in the background and you wouldn’t really be aware of what song is playing. In regards to it being a good album, it is, but only one that is to be played in the background or in a café whilst the rain is pouring down.